California's raw almonds are no longer truly raw. The USDA, at the request of the Almond Board of California, has been requiring that raw almonds be treated using a process that the industry generously describes as "pasteurization."

Wednesday January 9, 2013, 4:01 pm
Please read the following message from the Cornucopia Institute and help save California's truly raw almonds!

As you may know, California’s raw almonds are no longer truly raw. The USDA, at the request of the Almond Board of California, has been requiring that raw almonds be treated using a process that the industry generously describes as “pasteurization.”

The rule mandates either the gassing of almonds with a toxic fumigant (propylene oxide) or treatment with high-temperature steam-heat. The scheme imposes significant financial burdens on California small-scale organic and conventional growers, lacks scientific justification, damages domestic almond markets, and does not address the agricultural practices used on the industrial-scale almond orchards where the only documented Salmonella outbreaks have occurred (the rule has been justified as a food safety measure).

And the treated almonds can still be deceptively labeled as “raw”! No labeling in retail outlets is required to alert you to the treatment process.

A group of committed almond growers in California is challenging the treatment requirement in federal court. These farmers are seeking to overturn the rule and return truly raw California almonds to the American marketplace.

The Cornucopia Institute has been helping the California almond farmers involved in this fight. Cornucopia has prepared educational materials on this issue, including a fact sheet available on Cornucopia’s website, www.cornucopia.org.

But the California almond farmers challenging this regulation need your help.
• They need you to help spread the word about this issue and their fight, and help educate other consumers about the changes made to a favorite nutritious food eaten by so many health conscious consumers.
• And for those of you able to do so, they need your donations to help with the incredibly expensive legal fight against the USDA.

Supporters of the California almond farmers have established this web page which further explains the status of their momentous legal fight. The quirks of federal regulations exclude anyone but farmers from fighting this ill-thought-out rule in court. Please help out if you can and care about truly raw almonds.

Wednesday January 9, 2013, 5:05 pm
Legal action regarding this has been ongoing since 2008. The courts seem to be dragging their feet. In August of 2010 the farmers won an appeals court victory but it took until December of 2012 before Appeals court arguments challenging legality of almond treatment regulation began. It looks like they are trying to make the lawyers rich and the farmers give up the fight.

Wednesday January 9, 2013, 5:39 pm
Good points Rock. It seems to me that when the relative resources for legal action differ between the parties, the one with in-house legal help or far more funds for legal counsel will strive to delay and run the costs up as much as possible to try to force the other side with more limited resources to give up even when they are clearly in the right with the law on their side. A green star headed your way!

Wednesday January 9, 2013, 9:23 pm
I don't understand why they have to be "pasteurized". People are trying to eat more healthy snacks, why are they destroying natural ones? seems like another conspiracy to kill us with more carcinogens. more $ for the health industry?

Thursday January 10, 2013, 2:31 am
It sounds like a new method of making people terminally ill.
Giana, if you buy packaged almonds just look at it, there is no mention of where the almonds are grown! (Same thing with all the packaged nuts!)

Thursday January 10, 2013, 7:47 am
You cannot currently send a star to Marianne because you have done so within the last week. I suspect this may be a ploy by large agribusinesses to force the smaller organic and family farmers out of business. Natalie, Robert and Natasha: you are very welcome!

Thursday January 10, 2013, 8:09 am
I did some research on this a few years ago. It seems the only place they found contamination was on the equipment that handles the almonds. So instead of putting rules in place to keep the equipment clean, they make everyone spend more money 'pasteurizing' the nuts - and destroying nutrients in the process.

Thursday January 10, 2013, 12:47 pm
Thanks Gloria for the link! You cannot currently send a star to Gloria because you have done so within the last week. Thanks for spreading the word Michael and Patricia!

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